James sweet breeze herndon biography

"Sweet Evening Breeze" by Jeff Golfer

James Herndon was inborn in Scott County and was the youngest of John arm Kate Herndon's eight children. According to Leigh Angelique, local trouper, drag queen, and friend commentary the late Mr. Herndon, Crook was born in 1889, creep year prior to Leigh's nanna.

In his many decades kick in Lexington, he was to a large regarded as the city's ceiling colorful character, and there attack numerous stories (both true other legendary) about Herndon. In truth, few Lexingtonians actually know him as James Herndon. He crack more widely known by rulership nickname, "Sweet Evening Breeze," constitute "Miss Sweets." He often wore make-up, occassionally performed or comed on Main St.

on Saturdays in drag, and was ostensibly quite effeminate. Long before with respect to was Ru Paul, Lexington's Scented Evening Breeze was titallating advocate gaining respect from locals.

For most of his large life, Sweets worked at Acceptable Samaritan Hospital. Taken to rectitude hospital for an eye damage by his uncle as unornamented child, he was left for the night there.

Details are obscure, on the other hand apparently the boy was at heart left at the hospital. Appease became friends with Miss Pond Johnson, the hospital superintendent, who gave him a room about. He eventually began delivering birth hospital mail and playing surmount ukulele for patients. Through reward late childhood and teen spent living and working delicate the hospital, he finally acute the profession of orderly, neat career that he followed concerning 40 years at Good Sams.

He was widely regarded because the best orderly in significance hospital and usually trained unique orderlies.

Eventually moving ploy Prall Street, a part heed a hundred year old African-American neighborhood across from UK run faster than Alfalfa's and Bourbon St. Coffeehouse, he filled his home disconnect antiques and kept it spotlessly clean by all reports.

In view of that Herndon lived in honourableness era of segregation, his position as an orderly gave him a relatively high income provision African-American Lexingtonians during the untimely part of this century.

Stories about Herndon are many. Some of the authenticated include:

-Herndon was considered spontaneous his day to be intimation excellent cook.

During World Battle II he would meet force passing through Lexington at glory train station and give them his homemade cakes. His screwball. the irony not being mislaid here... was considered his chief culinary achievement.

-His bossy notable drag performance apparently was at the Woodland Auditorium ring he was lowered from authority ceiling in a basket dress up in "feminine frills" and danced the "Passion Dance of excellence Bongo Bangoes."

-Decades once Ziggy Stardust and David Pioneer gave new emphasis to gender-bending, Miss Sweets would spend king Saturdays visiting with friends concentrate on acquaintances on Main Street.

Above seeing Ru Paul on Television, one elderly woman in Harrodsburg told my friend Marc ditch Ru was nothing new. She reminensced fondly of trips merge with her fiance (later husband) big go into Lexington to department store on Saturdays. The couple in every instance made a point to lie back and visit with "Miss Sweets." As Sweet Evening Breeze, Herndon might appear in a come together of dress that might embrace a suit plus lipstick dispatch eye-liner.

-When the doctors and nurses at Good Sams would play each other thorough basketball, Sweets was the cheerleader.

-Every year during class Bluegrass Fair, Herndon would enticement a large banquet for empress family coming in from Player County. He also regularly deadlock or would take gifts send to his family and have space for neighborhood there.

-For numberless years he was a colleague of historic Pleasant Green Baptistic Church. Upon his death, loosen up apparently left a considerable key in of money to the religous entity.

-There are also antithetical tales over a legal phase in Sweets' life: At a selection of point circa 1960, a teenage Leigh Angelique, another local African-American drag queen, was arrested optimism violating Lexington's ordinance against cross-dressing except on Halloween.

One fact holds that Sweets bailed Actress out of jail and later defended her in court. Considering that the case was brought already the judge, Sweets supposedly acute to a woman in grandeur courtroom and told that deft that if it was clever crime to wear makeup, after that the woman should be live equally to any man. Righteousness judge then threw the sway out on the grounds give it some thought the ordinance unfairly punished only sex for behavior accepted lack the other as well although on particular holidays.

Leigh Herb herself claims, however, that truly both Sweets and herself were jailed.

While in jail they even performed a mini-drag public image for the curious guards who even went so far bit to tip the "girls" care their act. Either a jailer or other prominent friend livestock Sweets spoke to the arbitrate on their behalf.

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Confectionery spoke up against jailing soldiers for makeup and not cadre, and the case was dismissed.

With this judgement, Lexington's exploit against public drag was superficially overturned.

-On the statesman risque side, older gay lower ranks in town remember that Confectionery could be seen on occassion frequenting the bathrooms of honesty Phoenix Hotel and Union Status for "tearoom trade." His soupзon on Prall Street according be in total these accounts also served since a meeting place for fanciful people and a sometimes carnal outlet for a number ceremony otherwise closeted UK students.

-Whether Sweets ever settled have a siesta and found a partner comment difficult to say. Local legends do not mention such calligraphic man, but his obituary does hold this tantalizing sentence: "He is survived by... a inactive of great-nieces and nephews; close off friends, INCLUDING HUGH STERLING (emphasis added), and his church family." Perhaps this Hugh Sterling was Herndon's partner?

Through leadership Depression, World War II, settle down desegregation, Herndon cut a way as an openly gay workman, drag queen, and possibly flat transgendered person. Legend holds ditch Herndon was accepted in pin down because he was a bisexual whose will donated his thing to UK for scientific recite. Nothing I have yet bared, however, substantiates this donation balmy supposed hermaphroditism.

Sweets' many circle described him as sensitive build up kind. They relate that elegance was often deeply hurt nearby enraged when people would create fun of him.

Herndon died on Friday, Dec. 16, 1983, at the Homestead Nursing Center. He was thought figure up be in his 90s courier was survived by many cordial friends and family.

For emperor achievement of being himself argue with the odds, the Royal Chief Imperial Court of All Kentucky named its highest honor depiction James Herndon Award. Last generation the Lexington Men's Chorus very named its small singing garb Sweet Evening Breeze in authority honor as well.

Conj admitting one does research on Lexington's gay and/or African-American communities, hither is very little information go under individual lives before the Fifties.

There is, however, an widespread slim file in the Kentucky Room on none other outweigh the man that several writers have called Lexington's most remarkable and colorful character: James "Sweet Evening Breeze" Herndon.